28 January 2011

Strictly Sail Chicago

I'm sitting in a weather seminar, speaker is Lee Chesneau. He is making me feel d-u-m. Ean is in the diesel maintenance session. Hope he's having more fun than me. We went to George Day's ten things they didn't tell me about cruising. Good stuff. He and his family circumnavigated in late 80s - similar route as Andante, some of the same ports. It feels like I FIT here.

We toured a Hunter 50 - big and beautiful, with a jacuzzi under the master berth, for pete's sake. And, they say, a walk in closet - but really it's more like "edge in sideways" closet. As Ean commented, if you want to walk in, you better not put any clothes in there. But who are we to talk. Boatless dirt dwellers. Wish there were catamarans here.

We're having trouble with PATIENCE. But as I continue to do my executor duties, the money is becoming more real. And as the money becomes more real, so does the boat. Spending the inheritance on a big fat cat. Pretty crazy. But better than a big house, better than a bunch of stuff, better than traveling on airplanes and staying in luxury hotels, better than keeping it invested in the stock market for "a rainy day." So by process of elimination....

But my dad left me something more important than the money. He left me with the idea that we can do this, because he did it. He picked up and changed his life and had a grand adventure. He left me with the impression that The Boat Trip was the most important thing that he ever accomplished - a guy who started and ran a successful business, built launch pads and airports and all manner of buildings that still stand, made lots of money... He considered our time on Andante as the best time of his life.

WE CAN DO THIS. Lucky lucky us. And as we just heard from George Day - it's better to be lucky than to be smart.